Institute Participants 2002
Please click the country flags to read participant biographies.
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Bosnia Enes KARIC
Professor of Koranic Studies Faculty of Islamic Studies University of Sarajevo |
Bulgaria Maria Ilieva SERAFIMOVA-KARAPETKOVA |
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Cameroon Jean-Paul MESSINA
Vice-Dean Faculty of Theology Catholic University of Central Africa |
Canada Steven Joseph ENGLER
Religious Studies Instructor Humanities Department Mount Royal College |
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Taiwan (ROC) CHEN Chi-Rong Dean, School of Arts Chair, Religious Studies Department Aletheia University |
Czech Republic Zdenek VOJTISEK
Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Contemporary Religion Lecturer, Theological Faculty Charles University |
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Egypt Pakinam Rachad EL SHARKAWY
Assistant Professor Political Science Department Cairo University |
Finland Jan Titus Olivier HJELM
Researcher, Lecturer Department of Comparative Religion University of Helsinki |
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India Subhasis BISWAS
Lecturer, Department of History St. Paul's Cathedral Mission College & Jadavpore University |
Indonesia Zulkarnaini ABDULLAH
Chair, Department of Comparative Study of Islamic Law & Schools State Institute of Islamic Studies (IAIN) |
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Japan Michiaki OKUYAMA
Research Fellow, Nanzan Institute for Religion & Culture Associate Professor, Faculty of Humanities Nanzan University |
Kazakhstan Alima BALGABAY |
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Nigeria Ibrahim Na'iya SADA
Director Center for Islamic Legal Studies Ahmadu Bello University |
Pakistan Rabia Umar ALI
Assistant Professor Department of History Quaid-I-Azam University |
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Romania Zosim Dorin OANCEA
Associate Professor for Philosophy of Religions Andrei Saguna Theological Faculty Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu |
Slovak Republic Lucia MACHACKOVA |
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Tunisia Hajer BEN HADJ SALEM
Lecturer in English Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences of Sousse University of Tunis |
Uganda Musoke Muhammad KIGGUNDU
Lecturer, Deparment of Social Sciences and Arts Education Makerere University |
Enes KARIC
Mr. Karic received his Ph.D. from the Philological Faculty, University
of Belgrade.
His areas of specialization include the interpretation of Koran, Islamic
Philosophy, and hermeneutics in relation to the translation of holy texts.
Mr. Karic has completed various post-graduate and post-doctoral studies
at University of Cairo, Yale University, and Oxford University. The most
recent of his many publications includes Hermeneutika Kur'ana - the Hermeneutics
of the Kuran, 1990 and The Bosnia of Melancholy and Forgetting, 1997.
Maria SERAFIMOVA-KARAPETKOVA
Ms. Serafimova-Karapetkova holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Sofia University.
She specializes in sociological and religious issues as they pertain to
modernity. Her publications titles include the following: "The Modern
Sacred: Religion and Civilization" (2001), "The 'Good' Side
of Difference: Neighborhood and Religious Communities in Bulgaria"
(2000), "Religious Dimensions of Bulgarian Muslim's Identicity"
(1998). Ms. Serafimova-Karapetkova would like to develop a course on 'Religion
in the U.S.' building upon her background in Sociology and Religion. Her
recent researches include the "otherness" of Bulgarian-Muslims
and the impact of the urban environment on society.
Jean Paul MESSINA
Mr. Messina earned his Ph.D. in Religions History from Universite Charles
de Gaulle and is currently the Vice-Dean at the Faculty of Theology, Catholic
University of Central Africa. He specializes in Histories and Philosophies
of Christianity, Islam and African traditional Religions. He is the secretary
of the Episcopal Commission on Ecumenism, and was recently nominated by
Pope John Paul II as the African Representative (consultant) at the Pontifical
Council for inter-religious dialogue in Rome. Mr. Messina also is interested
in the relationship between religion and politics, especially in the U.S.
His most recent publication is Histoire du Christianisme au Cameroun:
Approche Oecumenique, 2002.
Steven Joseph ENGLER
Mr. Engler earned his Ph.D. in Comparative Ethics, Department of Religion
at Concordia University. He teaches in the Humanities Department at Mount
Royal College where he focuses on Theory of Religion, Religion and Science,
and World Christianity. He is also interested in social construction and
the face of American religion today. Mr. Engler would like to develop
an American Religion component at Mount Royal College. Recent publications
include, "Using Images in the Religious Studies Classroom,"
and "Reading in Colors: Highlighting for active reading in Religious
Studies," both will appear in an upcoming volume titled, Teaching
Theology and Religion.
CHEN Chi-Rong
Mr. Chen received his Th.D. at the University of Heidelberg, Gremany and
is currently the Dean of the School of Arts and the Chair of the Religious
Studies Deparment at Althea University in Taiwan. His research includes
a study of Taiwan's aboriginal cultures which resulted in the paper "The
Christian Church and Aborigine Bulture in Eastern Taipai," 1995.
Zdenek VOJTISEK
Mr. Vojitisek received his Ph.D. in Philosophy from Charles University
in Prague where he currently teaches. His areas of specialization include
Czech literature of the 20th Century, Sociology of Religion, new religious
movements, and the relations between the 'State' and 'Religion'. Mr. Vojitisek
is an advocate for ascribing higher legal status to new religious groups
and for the freedom for plurality of religions.
Pakinam Rachad EL SHARKAWI
Ms. Sharkawi earned her Ph.D. in the department of Political Science at
Cairo University. She specializes in the relations between 'State' and
'Religion'. Her Theses title, "State Power and The Structural Ajustment
Programs: The Turkish and The Iranian Cases: A Comparative Approach",
indicates her interest in comparing political systems. Ms. Sharkawi will
play a significant role in the development of the new "Center for
American Studies" at her home university.
Jan Titus Olivier
HJELM
Professor Hjelm is a Master of Theology at the University of Helsinki
with a specialization in the study of new religious movements, satanism,
social construction and international dimensions (including American-European
connections) of new religious thought. Next year, Professor Hjelm will
be teaching a course on Religion in the U.S. from a historical and sociological
point of view. His recent publication title is "The Making of a Media
Panic: Satanism in the Finnish Press". Mr. Hjelm also is a member
of a band which has an international record deal and will be touring Europe
soon!
Subhasis BISWAS
Mr. Biswas holds a Ph.D. in History from Jadavpore University and titled
his thesis "Nature and the Orient: The Colonial Perspective".
His areas of specialization include American Religious Movements, 20th
Century American Protestant Movements, Religion and Ethics, and Religion
and the Environment. As a young lecturer at Rabindra Bharati University,
Dr. Biswas has the distinction of introducing American History in the
curriculum for the M.A. degree in History. The title of the new curriculum
is "Political, Diplomatic, Social, Cultural and Religious History
in 19th and 20th Century U.S.A.".
Zulkarnaini ABDULLAH
Mr. Abdullah earned a MA in Asian Studies at the University of New South
Wales and is a Ph.D. candidate writing his dissertation on "The Jews
in the Qur'an: Text Context, and the Discourse of Religious Pluralism".
As his title suggests, Mr. Abdullah specializes in inter-religious dialogue
between Jewish and Islamic traditions, and religious pluralism generally.
He also is interested in Comparative Law and the relationship of religion
to U.S. government and culture.
Michiaki OKUYAMA
Mr. Okuyama holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Tokyo and
is currently a Permanent Reaearch Fellow for Religion and Culture at the
Nanzan Institute and an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Humanities
at Nanzan University. His focus is on the theory of Mircea Eliade's study
of religions. His interests also include East and West approaches to the
History of Religions, contemporary Japanese Theory and exploring the growth
in Muslim and Buddhist communities in the U.S. Dr. Okuyama has done research
as a visiting scholar in locations such as Berkeley, CA, Emory University
in Atlanta, and Princeton University. His recent research interest include
how different religions communicate and borrow from each other.
Alima BALGABAY
Ms. Balgabay earned her Ph.D. in Political Science from Almaty State University
and is currently an instructor for Islamic Studies, Geopolitical Studies,
and Political Science at the Islamic University of Kazakhstan. Her background
in Economics and Political Science, coupled with extensive research, has
helped her incorporate American Studies into the courses she teaches.
Although Ms. Balgabay is only twenty-six years old, she is the author
of more than 50 publications including a book titled The Problems of Religious
Extremism and Fundamentalism in Contemporary Central Asia.
Ibrahim Na'iya SADA
Mr. Sada holds a Ph.D. in Law and is currently a Senior Lecturer in the
Department of Islamic Law of the Faculty of Law at Ahmadu Bello University,
Zaria, Nigeria, one of Sub-Saharan Africa's largest universities with
an estimated student population of 26,000. His work experience includes
acting as legal adviser to the President of Zanzibar, Dean of Law, Head
of Islamic Law and Professor at Ahmadu Bello University. . He will play
a central role in the development of a new 'Multi-Disciplinary American
Studies Center' at his home university.
Rabia Umar ALI
Ms.Ali earned a MSC History at Quaid-I-Azam University in Islamabad. She
is particularly interested in the relationship between Religion and State
in the U. S., especially as it compares to the place of religion in Pakistan.
She hopes to better understand Pakistan's own struggle to balance its
deeply ingrained Religio-Political traditions with the Westminster model
of Statehood, which Pakistan inherited from the colonial period. Ms. Ali
is committed to developing an American Studies component in the history
department at her home university.
Dorin OANCEA
Mr. Oancea received his Doctor of Theology from the Protestant Theological
Institute of Cluj-Napoca and Sibiu, in association with the Theological
Faculty of the University of Heidelberg. Along with teaching the Philosophy
of Religions at Lucian Blaga University, Mr. Oancea is a deacon of the
Romanian Orthodox Church. He is particularly interested in church-state
relations and the general role of religion in society. One of his current
courses focuses on how to structure relations between the Orthodox Church
and Romania's new democracy. Mr. Oancea regularly organizes inter-departmental
seminars with the History and Law departments.
Lucia MACHACKOVA
Ms. Machackova holds a Masters degree in Theology as well as Political
Sciences from Comenius University, Bratislava. She is a key faculty member
of the Institute for State-Church Relations, established in 1997, where
she is responsible for relations between the State and Church. From September
2002, Ms. Machackova will start to teach course on Religion as a political
phenomenon at Comenius University. Her recent publication titles include
the following: "Aggression in Religion" (2001), "Collective
and Individual Escumatology in Doctrine of Certain Religions" (2000),
"Beliefs and Politics in the USA" (1999).
Hajer BEN HADJ SALEM
Ms. Ben Hadj Salem earned her MA in "American Cultural Studies"
from the Faculty of Letters of Manouba, University of Tunis. She is in
the process of completing her Ph.D. on "Religious Pluralism in the
USA: The Past 50 Years". Other interests of Ms. Ben Hadj Salem include
the following topics, "Methodism: A Politicized Christianity?",
"Class, Gender and Race: A Post-Marxist Approach to Methodism",
and "Beyond Religious Essentialism: The United States as an Example".
Ms. Ben Hadj Salem is forging into new territory in American Studies in
Tunisia, which has been dominated by the classics of the Canon and by
very traditional approaches to research. Currently, she is the only member
of her faculty teaching any courses dealing with Religion in the U. S.
Musoke Muhammad KIGGUNDU
Mr. Kiggundu received his MA in Religious Studies from Makerere University
and his BA in Islamic Studies (Comparative Religions) from Emir Abdel-Kader
University of Constantine, Algeria. He is currently pursuing his Ph.D.
in Religious Studies from Makerere University on the theme "Religious
Reform Movements and Their Influence Vis-Vis the Fundamentalist Attacks".
Mr. Kiggundu currently teaches courses entitled "Comparative Religions",
"Islam in Africa", and 'Religions and Philosophy". He is
also developing course materials covering "Inter-religious Dialogue"
and "Religion and Justice" for future lectures.
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